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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · bound · ground · pass · hand · patient · squash · wind

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. swing — music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — crushed
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. squash — the sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hand — help
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com